IO Datasphere, Inc. has been providing project management, software development and IT staff augmentation services to our clients in the Midwest and throughout the U.S. since 1996. We are an approved vendor on contract to provide software development and IT staff augmentation services for the States of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. We also provide these services to businesses, as well as local and county governments, in the Midwest and nationwide.

Our client is looking to hire a Data Architect to provide leadership in data architecture and modeling with a strong focus on understanding business needs and ensuring data solutions support agency priorities across a multi-year, multi-phase modernization effort and other mission-critical initiatives. The modernization effort includes a best of breed implementation with different vendor solutions including enterprise content management (ECM), health insurance, pension, and other benefits systems.

It is essential for the Data Architect to have both a business and technical focus because their role serves as a critical bridge between organizational goals and the systems that support them. A strong business focus ensures that data strategies and models align with the needs of stakeholders, support decision-making, and drive value across departments. At the same time, a deep technical understanding is necessary to design scalable, secure, and efficient data architectures that integrate with complex IT ecosystems. This dual focus enables the architect to translate business requirements into actionable technical solutions, ensure data quality and consistency, and future-proof the organization s data assets in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Tasks

• Collaborate closely with business leaders, technical teams, and vendors to understand business goals, processes, and data needs, ensuring architectural decisions are business-aligned.
• Translate business objectives into data architecture requirements, partnering with technical staff to assess feasibility and execution.
• Define and guide the agency s enterprise data architecture, including the creation and ongoing maintenance of enterprise data flows, with a focus on how data moves across systems to support core business operations, analytics, and decision-making.
• Provide direction and oversight for the design of data solutions, while leveraging technical staff to execute on specific implementation details and configurations.
• Ensure understanding, application, and enforcement of enterprise data standards across systems and teams.
• Recommend phased approaches to integrating new data sources and platforms in alignment with the agency s modernization roadmap and long-term data strategy.
• Lead data integration and migration planning to ensure accurate and efficient transitions between systems.
• Collaborate with data stewards and data owners to provide regular updates on project progress and status.
• Develop and maintain documentation on data architecture, data flows, and data models to ensure clarity and consistency.
• Contribute to data governance frameworks that ensure data quality, consistency, and compliance with relevant policies and regulations.
• Provide updates to leadership on architecture progress, risks, and contributions to agency-wide data and modernization efforts.
• Contribute to and help evolve the agency s enterprise data strategy, ensuring it supports both current needs and future growth.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Ability to collaborate with technical teams in the implementation of architecture, relying on their expertise for detailed solution design and execution
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to engage with business and technical stakeholders at all levels
• Strategic mindset with attention to data enablement, not just system architecture
• Strong business acumen with the ability to understand, synthesize, and translate business needs into high-level data architecture strategies.

NOTE: NO WI residency required. Open to nationwide candidates. This position can work 100% remote within the continental US.

Location: 100% Remote from within the continental United States

Contract: 1 year

Skills Required:

• 10 years - Experience with IT and information management
• 5 years - Experience as a data architect or an architect leading complex technology solutions (includes data modeling)
• Experience working with both business and IT teams to co-design solutions that deliver measurable business value
• Experience leading data efforts in complex, multi-system environments, with a focus on integration and business impact.
• Experience / deep understanding of enterprise data management disciplines: data governance, master data, metadata, lineage, and quality.
• Experience / knowledge of data architecture principles, reference architectures, and best practices for both on-premises and cloud-based solutions.
• Experience with data modeling tools and working with technical staff who focus on data integration technologies.
• Experience / proficiency in creating and maintaining Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs)
• Experience enforcing enterprise data standards and managing enterprise vs. local data usage
• Experience working with both transactional data models and applications, as well as data lake architectures and solutions
• Experience / proficiency with ERwin Data Modeler for developing, documenting, and maintaining logical and physical data models in support of enterprise architecture.
• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology or equivalent (Please include on Resume)

Skills Desired A plus to have:

• Experience defining and implementing data architecture for cloud solutions
• Experience with public sector systems (insurance, pension), modernization projects, and data analytics ecosystems
• Experience in pension, retirement, or benefit distribution systems including health insurance and related data processes

***Rate depends on experience

*** Local candidates preferred, not mandatory

*** Candidates authorized to work in the US are encouraged to apply. We can accept H1b, , TN, and other valid work visas for IT. However, we cannot accept OPT or CPT visas at this time.

*** Companies submitting candidates should only submit direct W2 employees for this position.

Please submit your resume by using the "URL" below